Annual Conference: 2007 Conference

From a perch on top of City Hall, we see historic mill complexes and residential neighborhoods, church steeples and downtown commercial blocks, and important institutional buildings. Each historic building still in use—or adapted for a new use—embodies energy that would be wasted during demolition and reconstruction, makes use of local materials, and is sited along historic transportation routes like the Blackstone River and the Northeast Railroad Corridor.

Maintaining and reusing historic resources is fundamentally a green strategy.

This conference will demonstrate that preserving old buildings, historic downtowns, and traditional land use patterns ensures a level of land, energy, and materials consumption that is sustainable for the future. Learn how revitalizing existing transportation routes, commercial districts, and brownfields lessens our footprint on open space and greenfields. Consider traditional design practices and industrial innovations that make historic buildings responsive to the natural environment and attractive for future users.

Preservation conserves AND innovates.

Check out recent mill rehabs that take environmentally sensitive approaches to brownfields remediation, energy efficiency, and sustainable materials—from containing polluted soil with molasses (!) to installing a “green” roof. Witness how historic places are embracing wind and water power, and take a tour of Pawtucket’s hydroelectric Bridge Mill Power Plant and the Wilkinson Mill waterwheel restoration. Explore historic places in and around our host community—20th-century landmarks, Downtown Pawtucket, mills reused for residences and artists’ spaces, and nearby sites in East Providence and Central Falls.

Together, we will makemade the case for Historic Preservation as a sustainable, innovative, environmentally sensitive, GREEN movement. Thanks for joining us in Pawtucket.